Homesteading: an extraordinary lifestyle ideology

In an era of unprecedented technology and ease of communication, many of us are finding ourselves craving something different. Many of us are returning to traditional ways of being, and are romanticised by homesteading.

Psychologists keep telling us that humans are social people and we need others, but more and more the fabric of community and connectivity is changing the way we have and maintain relationships with others and the world around us.

In recent years, many of us find ourselves drawn to old-fashioned things; traditions, and a slower way of living life. We yearn for a handcrafted existence rich with meaningful work, knowing that what we build, grow, produce and create is from our own hands and hearts.

In an effort to have everything at the push of a button, society has successfully eliminated everything that once helped us to feel grounded, connected, and whole. Consumerism is rife.

On one hand the industrial revolution created speed and efficiency and cheapness, and on the other it created more pollution, and the need all these different ways of solving problems that were created in spite of it.

The things that have brought humanity balance and equilibrium for millennia have been substituted for cheap, shallow alternatives.

We have fast food dinners and microwaves to warm up our food instead of homegrown and homemade dishes that are full of vital nutrients that energise and fuel our bodies.

Social media relationships are based on likes and shares and our engagement with people is measured by love heart shapes or thumbs up emojis instead of true friendships and connections.

Screen time dominates the spare time we have instead of face-to-face connections, coffees over the fence and sharing sugar with the neighbor who has run out.

Automation dominates tasks and allocation of tasks instead of creation between individuals who are trying to work together.

We’re stressed, depressed, and exhausted. There’s no time to think or just be. We’ve forgotten how to live with intention and to create what we want and need; we’re forced to merely react and consume while we watch the people on Netflix and YouTube live the lives we truly want.

Instead of living, we see other people live on social media, and then get sad we aren’t doing the same. Or worse, depressed that we should be uber achievers and that we somehow fail if we don’t have such an enriched life.

In reality, even some of these people are measuring themselves against an infinite yard stick in a never ending loop of emojis, likes, and shares – false concepts of connection and engagement.

It’s no secret why the notion of “back to the farm” is trendy right now, and with the world events as they are, also a reason to re-evaluate life and remember why we are here. We only have one life to live.

My task is to take you beyond the chicken-themed décor and novelty cowboy hats. My friends, I challenge you to fully embrace this yearning you feel for a simpler life. It’s time for a shift. It’s time to really think about what it is you want from life. It’s time to really look at what level of hamster you are and how much longer you can keep going at the pace you are going, for someone else.

You work and you go home and you pay your mortgage and die. You raise kids maybe, or care for elders. But where do you experience life in all that? Who said life had to be done that way?

Homesteading is a state of mind, and not a location. You can live on a suburban block, or you can live in the bush. As homesteaders, we all share one common goal: To return to our roots. To find satisfaction from the work of our hands. To work and sweat for something we love. To feed our families with foods that nourishes both body and soul. To leave the herd and grow our dreams. And to truly live our lives, not merely exist.

If any of this resonates with you, you’re in exactly the right place. Welcome, and we hope you enjoy your stay with us.